personal information, like your  Stop and talk to someone

Social Security, bank account, or you trust.

credit card numbers.
Before you do anything else, tell
someone — a friend, a family
If you get an email or text
message from a company you
member, a neighbor — what
happened. Talking about it could
How to
do business with and you think
it’s real, it’s still best not to click
help you realize it’s a scam.
Avoid a Scam
on any links. Instead, contact
them using a website you know
is trustworthy. Or look up their
phone number. Don’t call a
number they gave you or the
number from your caller ID.
Report Scams to the FTC
 Resist the pressure to If you were scammed or think you consumer.ftc.gov

saw a scam, report it to the Federal

act immediately.
Trade Commission.
Legitimate businesses will give
you time to make a decision. ReportFraud.ftc.gov
Anyone who pressures you to
pay or give them your personal
information is a scammer.

 Know how scammers tell

you to pay.
Never pay someone who insists
you pay with a gift card or by
using a money transfer service.
And never deposit a check and
send money back to someone.
September 2020
Four Signs That
It’s a Scam
1
Scammers PRETEND to
be from an organization
you know.
Scammers often pretend to be
contacting you on behalf of the
government. They might use a
real name, like the Social Security
Administration, the IRS, or Medicare,
or make up a name that sounds
official. Some pretend to be from
a business you know, like a utility
company, a tech company, or even
a charity asking for donations.
They use technology
to change the phone
number that appears
on your caller ID. So the
name and number you
see might not be real.
2
Scammers say
there’s a PROBLEM
or a PRIZE.
They might say you’re in trouble with
the government. Or you owe money.
Or someone in your family had an
emergency. Or that there’s a virus on
your computer.
Some scammers say there’s a
problem with one of your accounts
and that you need to verify some
information.
Others will lie and say
you won money in a
lottery or sweepstakes
but have to pay a fee
to get it.
3
Scammers PRESSURE
you to act immediately.
Scammers want you
to act before you have
time to think. If you’re
on the phone, they
might tell you not to
hang up so you can’t
check out their story.
They might threaten to arrest you,
sue you, take away your driver’s or
business license, or deport you. They
might say your computer is about to
be corrupted.
4 Scammers tell you to
PAY in a specific way.
They often insist
that you pay by
sending money
through a money
transfer company or by putting
money on a gift card and then
giving them the number on the
back. Some will send you a check
(that will later turn out to be fake),
tell you to deposit it, and then send
them money.
What You Can Do to
Avoid a Scam
 Block unwanted calls and
text messages.
Take steps to block unwanted
calls and to filter unwanted text
messages.
 Don’t give your personal
or financial information in
response to a request that
you didn’t expect.
Legitimate organizations won’t
call, email, or text to ask for your